Dr. Burton Grossman, Rheumatologist

May 08, 1990|By Kenan Heise.

Dr. Burton Grossman, 65, medical director emeritus at La Rabida Children`s Hospital and Research Center, supervised the care of thousands of young patients suffering from rheumatic fever in Chicago at a time when it was the scourge of childhood. An world-renowned expert, he wrote 100 scientific papers on rheumatic illnesses.

He was also professor emeritus in the pediatrics department at the University of Chicago.

A lifelong resident of Hyde Park, he died at home Saturday of a suspected heart attack.

In a 1985 article on Dr. Grossman, La Rabida Director Dr. Arthur Kohrman said: ``He`s a singular figure, a doctor of almost heroic dimension. No one dominates an area or a disease like he did with rheumatic fever. No one is so thoroughly, so awesomely identified with a disease.``

At one point, Dr. Grossman was the only pediatric rheumatologist in Chicago.

Dr. Grossman revolutionized therapy for children with rheumatic fever by demonstrating that it was unnecessary to confine them to bed for extended periods. Previously, patients were ordered to bed for six months. He advocated activity for such children and proved it helped, reducing their hospital stays to three to six weeks and offering a more pleasant and humane treatment program for the children.

Dr. Grossman was responsible for initiating one of La Rabida`s most progressive programs-the care of child abuse victims. It was his argument that abuse is a form of chronic illness.

When grilling medical students on emergency procedures, Dr. Grossman was noted for holding a human-shaped letter opener in his hand. The response to a correct answer was that he tipped it upward. A wrong answer saw him tip it downward. If a student made a life-threatening move or answer, the letter opener dropped to the floor.

Dr. Cliff DeBenedetti, who was a former patient, recalled: ``He really lit up the ward. Those were long days for us. The kids got execited when they heard he was on the ward because he had such a good sense of humor. He always had something to joke about.``

Dr. Grossman graduated in 1945 from U. of C. and in 1949 from its medical school, where he interned in pediatrics. After receiving a Helen Hay Whitney Research Fellowship to do research in Denmark, he joined the staff of La Rabida in 1955 and the U. of C. faculty in 1957. He retired in 1985.

Survivors include a brother, Stanley.

Services for Dr. Grossman will held at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the Piser Weinstein Menorah Chapel, 5206 N. Broadway.